Between Heaven and Hell
by Shiningheart of ThunderClan
Summary: Death has a way of changing people. Jade knows the better than anyone. She always thought she'd go to hell when she died. Well, in some ways, she did. In others? She hasn't yet begun to live.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Through Heaven and Hell

Rating: T-M

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Pairing: Pending

Summary: Death has a way of changing people. Jade knows the better than anyone. She always thought she'd go to hell when she died. Well, in some ways, she did. In others? She hasn't yet begun to live.

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Chapter one: What the hell?

She was dead. She was dead and she knew it. How else would she explain the blank expanse of white all around her and the fact that she was naked? Not to mention the last thing she remembered was drowning in the river near her house. Funny, Jade always thought she'd go to hell when she died. Unless this colorless space was her personal hell. For someone like her, monotony went under the form of 'cruel and unusual punishment'. It looked weird, though. More like purgatory or limbo than hell. Was her destination still being decided?

The young woman looked at what she could see of her body, freckled nose wrinkling in distaste. She still had the scars on her thighs, which meant the ones on her back were still there too. There were eight tattooed rings linked into a chain along her hip. Jade ran a finger tip delicately over each circle, a bitter smile tugging at her features. There was a story to every one of them, a story important to her. But now wasn't the time to think about them. Now was the time for answers. Feeling quite stupid, she asked aloud, "Can I have a mirror, please?"

Jade had no idea what she was hoping to accomplish with that. No one else was here. So she had every right in the world for shrieking like a sissy when one just suddenly appeared from no where. It was a full body mirror that showed her entire reflection. Her black hair was to mid-back. She'd had it in a braid when she'd been swimming, but then she'd also been wearing clothes. So obviously her death state didn't reflect her living one... Or at least the state she'd last been in.

Dark green eyes stared back at her, still blinking in shock and awe. Thick eyelashes framed them and seemed to make the green even more eye-catching. Her eyes were what she liked most about her appearance. They stood out against her light tan and high cheek bones. Her breasts were a decent size. Jade didn't know how to rate them with bra cups, being more into sports bras and bandages, but they were big enough to be a handful.

Her stomach was toned, but not with abs. She'd always thought that women with abs looked kind of weird. But hey, that was just her opinion. Jade's legs were clean shaven and long. Years of swimming and running had made them the most muscular part of her body.

The sight of her naked body suddenly made her uncomfortable. Jade covered herself instinctively as best as she could and asked, "Um... Can I have some clothes, please? Undergarments included?" A pile of clothes appeared on the floor, like they'd always been there, and Jade unfolded them to get a look. Her face dropped into a deadpan look. A short shirt that would barely cover her chest with a lazy bra and an equally short skirt with a thong. The sight of them made her respect for whoever was supplying these things drop. "Uh huh, yeah, hell no. Hoodie sweater, jeans, sports bra, and boy shorts."

The requested items didn't come straight away, like the mirror and scraps of cloth (as her mind dubbed them) had. For whatever reason, Jade looked up with narrowed eyes. "Hey, this is my afterlife! I should get to wear whatever I damn well want to, thank you very much!" The pile of clothing disappeared to be replaced. This time, she was satisfied. God, or whoever was giving her this stuff, took some liberties, but she could live with it. The hoodie was sleeveless and only went half-way down her body, allowing her navel to be shown. The jeans were cute looking and actually something she would have picked out for herself. The thighs were skinny but comfortable and the shins flared out at the ends. The bra and underwear were a plain matching black.

She looked back up with a satisfied smile. "Thank you!" Jade put them on and looked back int the mirror. The hoodie was black and the jeans were dark blue. She hummed to herself and turned this way and that way, looking at her reflection from all angles. "I don't know... Something's missing. What do you suggest, Mystery Gift-Giving Person Thing?" A plain white t-shirt appeared. She put it on too. The shirt was lower than the hoodie, but her tattoos still showed. "Perfect! Thanks again!"

The air turned warm, like whoever or whatever was watching her was saying, _"You're welcome."_ Jade didn't even realize how cold she'd been until now. She relished in the heat before she decided to wander. Part of her wondered if she should ask permission, but the rest of her begged for a little rule-breaking adventure. It'd always been a bad habit of hers to piss off the wrong people, and something told her Mystery Presences would fall under that category.

Luckily, said mysterious presence didn't seem to mind. Or at the very least, it wasn't stopping her. The air went from being warm to what Jade could only describe as curious. She felt a slight pressure on her skin, as if whoever was watching her wanted to know where she was going. "Just going exploring. A little adventure will do me good at the moment."

The presence turned satisfied and allowed her onward. Jade could feel it following her, not inhibiting but not helping. It was a rather unnerving feeling. She never liked leading anyone anywhere. It made her feel silly. To get her mind off of it, she started singing one of her favorite pirate songs. _"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho! Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho. Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho! Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho!_" The air turned... weird, as she continued. Jade couldn't explain it, except that it felt... contemplative. _"Binkusu, no sake wo! Todoke ni yuku yo. Umikaze kimakazi namimakase! Shio no mukou de, yuhi wo sawagu, sora nya, wao kaku tori no uta!"_

The more Jade sang, the heavier the air got. Evidently, it had come to a decision. Jade finally stopped walking and looked up. If she was going to be chucked into hell, she'd do it with her favorite sin: pride. "Finally chose where I'm going, huh? Well, bring it on! I'm not afraid!"

And suddenly, everything turned dark. Like someone had shut off the lights _and_ put a blindfold on her. Jade yelped loudly and whirled around, trying to spot something, anything, in the shadows around her. It was getting difficult to breath. Her chest heaved for air and she clawed at her throat, thinking maybe something was choking her that she hadn't noticed. But no, the only thing her fingers closed around was her own neck. What was going on?

The last thing she was aware of before closing her eyes and falling unconscious was a voice. A deep one that seemed to vibrate in her bones. "I sense something about you, Jade. You've changed fate once already. Perhaps you can do it again..."

-Scene Change-

When she next woke up, the first thing she felt was the heaviness in her limbs. "Shit, did someone gave the license plate of the truck that hit me?" she groaned without opening her eyes. A squeak made her force an eye open and observe the room. It was modest, the only furniture being the bed she was laying in and a desk with a lamp on it. The walls were pained a dark yellow color, so it was both cheery yet didn't hurt the eyes. The window was opened, letting the white sea-shell printed curtains flutter.

A nervous stammer made Jade look at the floor, where one of the cutest little girls she'd ever seen was watching her with wide eyes. She had brown hair that stuck out in pig tails and a blue and green dress that went to her knees. The look on her face made Jade wince a little. "Erm... Hi?"

The little girl let out a wail and went charging through the door. "MOMMY, THE GIRL MADE ME FALL OFF THE BED!" Jade could only stay there and wince, listening to the sounds of the child crying and an older woman calming her down. Minutes later, an older adult version of the little girl entered the room with a smile. The little girl had one hand clinging to her mother's apron while the other was fisting her dress.

It looked like she wanted to say something, but was nervous. Jade smiled encouragingly and said, "Are you okay, sweetie? I didn't mean to make you fall off the bed. I hope you didn't hurt yourself."

The child smiled shyly and shook her head, shifting back and forth a little. "N-no, I'm fine. I'm sorry I yelled. I thought you were still asleep, and you talking surprised me." Jade's smile widened, and she patted the space in front of her in invite. The little girl looked at her mother first, who nodded. Then she climbed on the bed and looked at Jade. "Are _you_ okay, though? You said something about being hit by something... Is that why we found you asleep on the beach?"

Jade blinked in surprise and looked at the older woman. She nodded. "It's true. We were looking for seashells to decorate the bar downstairs and found you unconscious in the sand. It looked like you were in a shipwreck." It certainly _felt_ like she'd been in a shipwreck. But that didn't make any sense. The last thing she remembered was drowning. How on Earth had she gotten to a beach? "Would you like something to eat or drink? You've been unconscious for three days."

She felt her eyes bug out in shock. "Three days?!" Like it had heard the conversation, Jade felt her stomach rumble loudly. The little girl giggled, and even the older woman cracked an amused smile. Jade rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, a small grin on her face. "Um... I think that answers your question, doesn't it?" The older woman nodded and left the room in a hurry. The little girl smiled, apparently being over her nervousness. "And what's your name, little one?"

The girl beamed in response and chirped, "Rika! I'm eight and a half years old! Mommy owns a... a res... a rester..." Rika's nose wrinkled in concentration, and Jade internally squealed at the adorableness. Rika seemed to give up on how to pronounce the word and instead said, "My mommy owns a food place! People come to eat and sometimes sailors who don't live around here stay in the rooms for a while."

So, a restaurant that also acts as a hotel. Seemed kind of dangerous for a woman and a little girl, but what the hell did Jade know? Maybe Rika's mother was secretly a bad ass ninja and would kill Jade for asking. Still, it would sooth her conscience if she knew someone was here to protect the family. "And what about your dad? Does he help in the restaurant?"

It broke Jade's heart to see that smile dampen a bit before being forced back up. "Daddy went away a long time ago. Mama says he's gone to heaven, but I'm not sure where that is. Do you?" The closing up her throat prevented her from vocally answering, but Jade managed to shake her head in a negative. Rika pouted a little before shrugging. "Oh well. I've been writing him letters and giving them to Mommy, so he has to know what's going on here."

Jade saw a change of topic and dived for it desperately. "And what's going on here? Are you helping your mother out with chores and carrying food to people?"

Rika nodded happily, but something seemed wrong with her expression. She looked at the door, as if measuring the time until her mother came back. Then she crawled up the bed, closer to Jade, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "There's more than that going on, though. There's a really mean guy up at the marine base, named Helmeppo. He's a bully, always pushing people around and demanding free food from us. He's Captain Morgan's son, though, so no one can stand up to him."

The black-haired teenager frowned and glanced at the window, where the sounds of a happy marketplace were drifting up. It didn't _sound_ like a town being terrorized, but maybe that Helmeppo guy wasn't around to muck up everyone's day. "That's horrible. Mean people like him should be taught a lesson..." An idea formed in her head. It was more a bluff than anything, but if it worked, then at least Rika would have some peace growing up.

Rika nodded, the smile dimming even more than before. "Someone already tried... There's a man, tied up in the courtyard of the marine base. His name is Roronoa Zoro. He saved me from Helmeppo's pet wolf-dog when it was going to hurt me. Helmeppo made a deal with him. If he can survive a month without food or water, he'll be let go."

Jade's stomach tightened until she felt nauseous. No one can survive without water for a month. Food, sure, but not water. Six minutes without air, six days without water, six weeks without food. Or so her uncle used to tell her. Jade wasn't really sure if it was true or not. She bit her lip, worried for the stranger that had saved Rika, her life from the sounds of it. She could maybe take him some water during the night and just be really, _really_ careful...

Rika's mother suddenly appeared in the doorway with a steaming bowl of something. Jade didn't know what it was, but she _wanted_ it. Her stomach agreed loudly. The older woman smiled and placed the bowl on the table gently so as to not spill it. "I see my daughter has warmed up to you. I'm glad; it's so weird to see her not babbling to complete strangers!"

Jade paused in trying to use The Force to make the bowl come to her. She didn't know if she should take that as an insult or not. By the face Rika was making, she decided it was just gentle teasing between mother and daughter. Thus, she resumed her efforts. Rika's mother noticed her concentration and brought the food over. Jade gave a quick 'thank you' before abandoning all pretense of manners and devouring the food.

Rika giggled at Jade's hunger before looking at her mother. "I was just telling her about the deal between Mister Zoro and Helmeppo." Without looking, Jade sensed the mood shift a little. She glanced from the corner of her eye and saw a stern look on the mother's face. "What? I told her about him saving me from Helmeppo's wolf-dog and that Mister Zoro was arrested for it! That's all, I swear!"

Odd. It sounded like there was something going on there that Rika's mother didn't want anyone else to know. Jade watched as mother and daughter argued, seemingly forgetting that she was even there. This Zoro character seemed to have been tied up for five days already, and Rika wanted to go see him. If only just to check how he was doing. Rika's mother forbid it. Apparently anyone caught helping would be accused of committing the same crime he'd been arrested for, and either be imprisoned or killed.

But that was crazy! Rika was just a little girl. Surely they wouldn't kill her. Marines are supposed to be the good guys, right? Jade knew that not all authority figures were good, but surely they wouldn't even hurt a child. The more she listened, the angrier she became. These people were all living in fear, not just Rika's family. This Captain Morgan threatened them with death if they even tried to rise against him, and Helmeppo used his father's name to terrorize the citizens.

Jade interrupted them when she finished eating. "Ah, that was good." she sighed, patting her belly. She looked at Rika's mother to see her looking slightly sheepish. Apparently, she really _had_ forgotten Jade was there. "So, Rika tells me you run a restaurant. Any chance I can help with that?" The mother's look turned surprised. "I don't have any money to pay for it, as you probably guessed. And I refuse to leave you here without helping out in _some_ way. So I'd like to help you work downstairs, if that's okay."

The mother's look turned thankful, and she nodded. "I wouldn't make you pay, dear, but the help is appreciated. You're free to work and live here as long as you want." Jade bowed her head in thanks. "Call me Ririka. What's your name?"

And Jade became aware that she hadn't yet introduced herself, even to Rika. "Oh! My name is Jade. Thank you for letting me work!" Her body felt better after getting something in it, so she got out of the bed to bow at the waist respectfully. _'Today, I'll work in the restaurant. Tonight, I'll visit this Roronoa Zoro and thank him for saving Rika.' _

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Words: 2852

Pages: 5


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Shiningheart of ThunderClan doesn't own One Piece.**

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Chapter 2: Roronoa Zoro

The next few hours flew by for Jade. Either the restaurant had a lot of regulars or it really was a small town, because _every single person_ commented on her being new. It was getting annoying, and Jade vocally made sure everyone knew this. "We might as well hang a sign outside saying 'Yes, we have a new person. Get over it.'" she muttered to Ririka once as she'd gotten food. The older woman had giggled before shooing her away.

But the sun had indeed lowered beyond the horizon. Rika was the one to switch the OPEN sign to CLOSED. Jade threw herself dramatically into a chair and slumped until her armpits were level with the arm rests. "Woo, I'm pooped. How do you do this every day without help, Ririka?" Rika huffed pointedly, and Jade had to smile and ruffled her hair. "Okay, how do you do this every day with only Rika to help?"

Ririka smiled while cleaning out a mug. "It's not usually this busy. People must have spread the word about a newcomer here!" She gave a cheeky little wink at Jade, who groaned and smacked her head on the table. Ririka's expression slowly fell until her brow furrowed in worry. "If word has gotten around, though, then I imagine the marines have heard as well..."

The implications occurred to Jade just as the door burst open. A blond haired man waltzed into the restaurant with two marines trailing behind like bodyguards. Jade almost burst out laughing at the arrogant tilt of the man. From Rika's description, this must have been Helmeppo. His hair was held up into the shape of an upside down onion, and he walked with such a strut that he literally waddled like a penguin. His purple suit looked expensive, and he had gaudy rings and necklaces like he was _flaunting_ his wealth.

Seeing Rika's face fill with fear and Ririka's fill with resignation, Jade knew it was up to her to speak for all of them. She forced what she hoped was a polite look onto her face and said, "I'm sorry sir, we just closed for the night. I suggest trying again tomorrow."

Helmeppo's face scrunched up and he scoffed. "I don't care for the food here. I've heard rumors of a new girl working here." His voice. Dear Gods, his _voice_. Jade had to nearly bite clean through her tongue to keep from laughing at the high pitched cracks, like he was still going through puberty. Something of the humor must have shown on her face, because Helmeppo's complexion quickly flushed red in both embarrassment and anger. "What's so funny? Do you know who my father is?!"

Jade faked confusion, and even looked at Ririka before looking back at him. "Um... Noooooo? Why? _Should_ I know who your father is?" He didn't seem to know how to take that. His eyes widened and he jerked back like she'd tried to hit him.

Behind Helmeppo's sputtering form, the two marines shared a look. When they spotted Jade looking at them, they smirked and _winked_. Somehow, Jade got the feeling that the marines didn't really like their 'boss'. She snapped her attention back to the blond when he stamped his foot, not wanting to get the men in trouble. "My father is Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, you fool! All it would take is one word from me and you'd be sentenced to death!"

She widened her eyes in faux-shock. Helmeppo gave a greasy smile at her reaction and leaned back with his hands in his pockets, as if waiting for verbal confirmation of the realization. "Oh. Yeah, and?" Not the reaction _any_ of them were expecting, if the gaping from all around was any indication. Jade smiled and crossed her arms, enjoying the look. "_My_ father is Major Maverick. Stationed in the _Grand Line._"

Honestly, Jade had no idea what this meant. She'd heard the sailors whisper about it, some with such a haunted expression that her curiosity almost ate at her. The stunned looks on everyone's face made her want to know more about this Grand Line place. Helmeppo looked stunned. The marines looked both stunned and awed. Rika and Ririka? Looked stunned, awed, and, weirdly enough, slightly scared. Jade pretended to relish in their expressions before saying in what she hoped was a sweet tone of voice, "So I'll say this again." She leaned forward, just enough to seem threatening. "We. Are. Closed."

All three men, even the marines, nodded hastily and practically tripped over themselves to leave. Jade turned to look at the other two females with a satisfied nod. "They shan't be coming back for a while." she said with a pompous air. Both nodded slowly, still not saying anything. Jade got slightly uncomfortable beneath their stairs, and took off the apron Ririka had given her early that day. "I'm gonna take a shower. Is that okay?"

That seemed to snap Ririka out of her trance and she gave Rika a nudge. "Show her to the bathroom, Rika. I'll clean up." Rika nodded happily and ran up the stairs. Her happiness was clear in her bounce, and Jade felt a bit of pride that she was able to give it. As she passed the mother, though, Ririka grabbed her by the elbow and glared at her. "You're explaining later tonight what that was about just now. Am I clear?"

She wasn't even her mother, but Ririka's tone still made Jade squirm in nervousness and nod jerkily in acceptance. She just had that _look_ in her eye! You know, the one that said _'either listen or you will be in big trouble!'_ It kind of scared Jade how easily she could be bossed around like that, but whatever. Ririka let her go with a satisfied nod, and Jade quickly scuttled up the stairs. Rika was standing at the very top, hands over her mouth to keep from giggling too loudly.

Jade stuck her tongue out at the little girl teasingly, a mischievous light in her green eyes. Rike puffed her cheeks out and crossed her eyes in response, and the two females dissolved into childish giggles. The young one took Jade's hand and led her down the hallway, passed her room, to a door just at the end of the hallway. "Here's the bathroom!" she chirped cheerily as she opened the door. "There's towels under the sink if you want them, and you can use Mama's stuff if you need it. It's behind the mirror!"

As far as bathrooms went, it was nice. None of the tiles on the floor were cracked and they were sparkling white, like they were bleached frequently. The cabinet was only three feet from the toilet, and the shower was divided by a mere curtain. There didn't seem to be any mold or moss growing anywhere, but Jade was taking special care not to look too closely. "Thanks kid." she said with a smile that slowly faded. "Um... I only just realized, but... I don't have any clothes besides what I'm wearing..."

Rika frowned in thought before the smile came back. "I'll wash them for you and ask Mama if you can borrow some of her jammies!" Before Jade could say yes or no, the child ran passed her and slammed the door shut. Even through the wood, Jade heard Ririka shout up at them and Rika yell back, though she couldn't discern the words. She laughed and shrugged, deciding it didn't really matter, before undressing and stepping into the shower.

Normally she only took ten minutes, but it hadn't occurred to her until then that they'd found her on the beach beside the ocean. She had sand and salt caked onto her. It was a wonder no one had complained, either about her scent or her filth. So Jade took to scrubbing every orifice that she could reach. By the time she was done, the water was yellow and gross and she felt oh so better. When she stepped out from behind the curtain, the mirror was all fogged up. Jade almost burst out laughing when she spied a smiley face smudged onto it.

The pjs were sitting on the seat. They were a shirt and pants combo, both white cotton with tiny pink pokadolks on them. It looked more like something Rika would wear than a grown woman, but the size didn't lie. She was thankful that the underwear added was her own. As kind as Ririka was being, Jade wouldn't feel comfortable wearing someone else's undergarments. She must have been in there longer than she thought, if her clothes were done.

The steam followed her out when she opened the door, and Jade raised her arms over her head until her shoulders cracked. "Ugh, I needed that more than I thought I did." she called out, listening for a response. Ririka answered from downstairs, so Jade jumped the stairs two at a time. Ririka was alone, wiping down the counter by the register. "Where's Rika?"

Ririka stopped wiping the counter and put the rag in the sink water to soak. "I sent her off to get ingredients for tomorrow. I wanted to talk to you about earlier." Jade gulped loudly and nervously took a seat on a bar stool. Ririka smiled softly and said, "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble. I just wanted to ask why you didn't tell us about your father!" Jade wiped her finger across the countertop, feeling like a child about to get into big trouble. Ririka took this the wrong way and asked, "Is he okay? I know you must worry about him, but-"

Jade waved a hand to cut her off. "No, no, nothing like that. He's not real." Queue awkward blinks and silence. "I lied to shut Helmeppo up. I figured if his Captain of a father made him arrogant, meeting someone whose father ranked higher would shrink his ego, and... Well, it did. It looked like it, at least." Ririka still stared silently. Jade put up her hands to ward off any potential hit and sped up until she was babbling. "I know it was a stupid idea, but I couldn't just stand there and let him walk over me! I'm not that type of person! You probably want to kick me out now, and I don't blame you. I have no idea what consequences my actions might bring. If you want, I'll change back into my clothes so you don't get mistaken for me and I'll leave right now. The last thing I want is to cause you trouble when you've already done so much for me!"

She bit her lip forcefully, almost drawing blood, to keep from babbling anything more. When Ririka didn't answer, Jade hastily stood up and lowered her head before turning and quickly going towards the stairs. Just as she was about to go up the first step, she was turned around from behind and enveloped into a hug. Jade found her face stuffed into Ririka's shoulder, which was trembling slightly. "You stupid girl. You stupid, stupid girl. Do you know what they'll do to you if they find out you lied?" The older woman pulled back and Jade saw a wetness in her eyes that wasn't there before. "You'll die. And for what, just to give us a night's peace from Helmeppo?"

Jade narrowed her eyes slightly. "It's more than that. I can't just sit by while that blond bastard humiliates you. I don't care what they do to me. I can't leave here in good conscious knowing that he'll just keep doing what he's doing with no one to stop him." Jade felt her expression darken, and she looked away to avoid looking at Ririka. "People like them, Helmeppo and Morgan, they don't deserve power if they just abuse it." She pulled away from the elder woman and looked her in the eye. "I need my clothes and the darkest cloak, jacket, thing you have. I'm going to see Roronoa Zoro."

-SCENE-CHANGE-

Wow, she couldn't believe it actually worked. Jade fixed the hood to better hide her face while a marine patrol walked passed her hiding place. She'd been expecting Ririka to put up way more of a protest about her seeing Zoro, but she hadn't spoken a single word after the impromptu speech. When Jade went back downstairs, there was a black cloak like what Mother Gothel wore in Tangled. It was long enough to hide her outfit and big enough to shield her gender, plus the hood to drape over her face. Why Ririka had a cloak like this, Jade didn't really want to ask.

When the marine patrol was gone, Jade peeked out of the alleyway close to the marine base. _'Coast is clear, go go go!'_ she thought to herself with a grin. This was honestly the most fun she'd had in a while. The adrenaline, the excitement, the danger... She could totally get used to it. She'd actually been watching the base for the past half an hour, a feat she was quite proud of. Usually, she would have just run right in there, consequences be damned. But that was only if it was herself on the line. If they discovered it was her, and that Ririka was housing her...

Jade shook her head to get rid of that train of thought and quickly scaled the wall separating the marine base from the town. It wasn't a very sophisticated base. There weren't any spotlights wandering the area, or hidden lasers to trip an alarm. The patrols were really the extent of the security, and they were almost too easy to slip by. Jade had more problems slipping by her friends' guards when playing Capture The Flag.

She took a minute to let her eyes adgust to the sudden darkness. The only light on this side of the wall was from the windows by the barracks. So long as she avoided those, no one would be any wiser. From Rika's descriptions, Zoro should be right in the middle of the yard... _'Ah, there he is.'_ He was either asleep or unconscious. She couldn't see much detail in the darkness. There was the glint of his three earrings and the white shirt of his, but that was it. And suddenly Zoro's head was up and looking right at her. A lesser woman would have squealed. She just... squeaked a little. "Who's there?" he growled lowly.

Good, at least he wasn't alerting the marines. Jade pitched her voice lower, hoping to pass as a man. "Jeeze, if that's how you react to someone bringing you water, maybe I'll just dump it over your head..." She took the water bottle hooked onto her cloak and shook it so he could hear the splashing. When he didn't say anything after she took three steps, she scurried across the way to him and stopped right in front of him. From this angle, she could see him better. He had a bandanna wrapped around his head, and his dark eyes glittered like stars.

That could just be her romanticizing him, though. Especially when he glared at her. "Either you're not from around here, or you haven't heard what's going on. If they catch you helping me, they're going to kill you." He went on to say more, but Jade had already unscrewed the top of the water bottle and poured it over his face. Zoro jerked back as well as he could and took a deep breath to start yelling at her. Jade, both apologizing mentally and praying she hit the right spot, struck her palm into his solar plexus. The air rushed out of his chest and he bent over, wheezing and coughing. "The hell was what for, bastard?!" he whisper-yelled.

Well, at least he thought she was a dude. She kept up her charade with a low-pitched scoff. "If they haven't found me already, you would have just given me away, you asshole! Is that how you want to repay someone going out of their way to help you, huh? By getting them killed?!" Though Zoro glared at her, he didn't say anything. "That's what I thought. Now, I'm going to pour this over your mouth. Turn away when your mouth is full and I'll stop pouring, then resume when you turn back." She glared at him when he looked to start protesting. "You've been here for five days already, dumbass. You may be able to survive without food for a month, but if you don't have water you'll get dehydrated." He looked to still be ready to argue. "And rainwater doesn't count."

Finally, it looked like Zoro gave up and he looked away with a scoff. "Fine. Whatever. Just don't blame me when you die." They spent a total of three minutes, three very _awkward_ minutes, until the water bottle finally ran out. Though he didn't verbally say anything, the fact that he looked so relieved made Jade inwardly smile. "Thanks." he said grudgingly. Jade responded by patting his head. Despite the way he was tied and the fact that he had just accepted help from a stranger, Zoro still had his pride. He tried to bite her hand and growled like a dog when she snickered. "Get out of here!"

This time, she could do so with a smile. Jade rehooked the empty water bottle onto her cloak and bowed mockingly. "I'll be back in the night after tomorrow with more water. Try not to puke it up." Oh, he looked _pissed_. Time to leave. Jade swished her cloak and ran to the shadows like Severus Snape, where she disappeared from his view altogether. _'Epic adventure: complete. Return to base!'_

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Pages: 5

Words: 2961

**Me: If anyone sees a spot in first person outside of dialogue, please please PLEASE tell me. I wrote a quarter of it before realizing I was putting 'me's and 'my's. I'm lucky if I didn't lose a few brain cells from the face palm I did. XD Thanks for reading! Review, please! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Shiningheart of ThunderClan doesn't own One Piece.**

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Chapter 3: Greatest Swordsman

Jade almost stumbled down the stairs the next morning. When she'd gotten back from her meeting with Roronoa, both Rika and her mother were already in bed and the building was dark. Between her hour at the base, avoiding people on the streets, finding a hiding place for the cloak in case anyone recognized it, sneaking in quietly, and trying not to curse when she inevitably ran into shit, Jade hadn't gotten to sleep until one in the morning.

Now it was seven in the morning. Rika had run into her room, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and literally _jumped_ onto her freaking bed. Scared the hell out of her, and Jade had nearly instinctively repeated their first meeting of making the little girl fall off the bed. Of course, cursing up a storm didn't stop the young one from chattering a mile a minute. Somewhere in the middle of said babbling, it was said that Ririka wanted her to get up and showered and be awake by the time the restaurant opened at eight.

At first, she'd momentarily balked at the notion of waking up any time before noon. But then she remembered just where she was and that she was living under Ririka's roof. Her roof, her rules. So Jade had dragged herself to the bathroom for a cold shower. It had only helped so much. And that's why the teenager was barely able to keep herself from face-planting. Ririka stood at the stove making breakfast, and turned to smile a good morning at Jade. It quickly morphed into an amused expression. "Not a morning person, I take it," she said.

Jade responded by trudging to the same bar stool as last night, collapsing into it, and letting her head drop onto the countertop with a _thunk_ and a groan. Ririka's tinkling laughter mixed with her daughter's boisterous one, and Jade turned her head to spot the young child's head peeking up beside her mother. She gave a half-hearted smile to her and picked herself up. She'd never taken the chance to look around at the restaurant the other day.

There was a counter separating the cooking area from the eating area, with a line of stools pressed up against them. The walls were made from vertical wood, painted over with white. There were various pictures and paintings hanging around, from pretty sunsets to sparkling forests to raging storms. The place was clean, free of dust and gross shit that would turn off possible customers. The floor was polished wood as well. The stairs that led up to the sleeping areas was at the far end, opposite the entrance from the street. The tables and the counter were the same. The register was in the middle of the counter to keep people from blocking the entrance. Or so Jade assumed.

A plate of pancakes was set in front of her, and Jade's belly rumbled in response. Jade gave a quick thank you to both Ririka, who cooked the food, and Rika, who served it. Then she dove in. As soon as she finished one pancake, another would be added to the plate. She was five pancakes in when she quit and wailed comically, "No more! If I eat another one, my stomach will explode!"

Ririka turned off the stove with a smile. "You're cleaning up the mess if it does." Jade gave a mock-offended look as Rika scampered away to do whatever it was little girls did while not helping their mothers tend the shop. "I want you to work until two today. Then I'll give you a bit of money to go buy your own things. You can't wear one outfit for the rest of your life!" Jade wanted to argue, more about the money than the time off. If she needed it, she'd just pickpocket some poor fool and use that. She didn't know them, so it didn't bother her.

Finally she sighed and dipped her head. Ririka was right, she needed clothes. And besides that, she wanted to visit Roronoa in the daylight. Just to see if he recognized her. If he did, then... Well, he was smarter than the impression she got last night. Plus, it would be helpful if Ririka didn't know she was going to see him. Then she might get angry. "Alright, Ririka. Whatever you say. Any restrictions, seeing as how I'm going to be sticking around for the unseeable future?"

Ririka smiled and shook her head. "Just be sensible. I won't tolerate you walking around in a skirt short enough to show your unmentionables every time you turn around!" The stern words were at odds with the playful light in her eyes, and Jade laughed and nodded.

The next few hours were spent getting to know the regulars by face, name, and order. Old Miss Madelyn, who ordered pancakes for breakfast, started telling Jade a story about her old days of being a bounty hunter. Jade wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or just weaving an intricate lie, but she was too wrapped up in it to care until Ririka yelled at her to get back to work. Young Timothy was only a teenager, about five years older than Rika. He apparently worked at the local docks as a cargo loader, though he wasn't actually allowed to sail. He always came around the same time for his lunch break, but never ordered the same thing two times in a row. He wanted grilled cheese that day, and made polite conversation until his food was ready.

There were others, but those two were the ones to stick out the most. Two PM rolled by quicker than Jade had thought possible. Everyone in the building, even the customers she'd been speaking to, waved and called goodbye. She walked away from the restaurant with a bag full of five thousand beli. At first she'd tried to refuse, since she thought it was a lot, but she'd relented when everyone started giving her weird looks and waved it off as being taught not to take more than she could repay. Since Ririka was already giving her a place to stay and a job, she didn't think it would be fair.

Jade wasn't sure how well the excuse had worked, but she could tell she'd gained the respect of at least a few of the patrons. But now she was on her own, and would be for the next few hours. The only real plan she had was that she'd go shopping first before seeing Zoro. She didn't know where any of the shops were, and she'd feel awkward asking one of the residents to show her around. She should have taken the chance last night to explore a little more, no one would have asked questions. "Jade!"

A smile came unbidden to the girl's face, and she turned just in time to catch Rika jumping up at her. The momentum made Jade either spin in circles or fall to the floor, so she chose to spin. By the time they stopped, both were giggling. "Hello, Rika! I'm surprised to see you out here. Shouldn't adorable little girls like you be playing or in school?"

Rika shook her head so that her pig tails flew into her face. "Nope! It's summer vacation. Why, is school still going where you live?" Jade decided it was easier to lie and nodded. Rika puffed her cheeks out and said, "Well, that stinks. Good thing you're here then!"

Jade laughed at the cheeky grin the child sported and nodded. "And it's a good thing _you're_ here too! You see, I seem to have found myself without a guide, and since you live here..." She trailed off, letting Rika fill in the blanks. Her eyes lit up with understanding and her grin widened. "What do you say, kiddo? Wanna play tour guide and show me around?" The squeal that Rika gave made her ears ring, but the hug she got was worth it.

Three hours later, she had three bags of clothing in each arm. Rika, who'd insisted on carrying something, had one of the lightest bags. They returned to the restaurant with high spirits and loud giggles. Ririka, upon seeing them together, rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "So _that's_ why I've had people asking me if I adopted another child." Jade gave the older woman a confused look. "I've had reports from the people that haven't met you yet that my daughter is running around with a teenager they've never seen before."

Jade scratched the back of her head sheepishly, a smile on her face. "Erm... Is that a problem? I didn't know my way around town and Rika found me..." Ririka gave a negative, and Jade sighed in relief. "Good. Rika, love, could you take that bag up to my room for me? I'll be up in a minute. I want to ask your mother something." The cheery little girl raced away, and Jade turned back to the older woman. "Do you need me again? If not, I have to go see a certain man about a certain something..."

Ririka understood by the meaningful look around. "Again? Didn't you visit him last night?" She leaned closer and lowered her voice so that no one else could hear. "If you go too much they'll get suspicious. And I can't vouch for you if you get caught!"

The fear, the real genuine fear, in Ririka's eyes made Jade soften. She was afraid for Jade, afraid of the consequences if the marines wised up. "I know you're scared. I have no intention of getting you or Rika in trouble. If I get into trouble, I'll tell them you had nothing to do with it, and even that you thought I was up in my room resting. They'll never know." Ririka bit her lip, indecision warring in her eyes. "I won't go if you don't want me to. But I made a promise to him to be there again tomorrow night. I even stashed away that cloak you gave me so that they wouldn't know where it came from. I can't just walk away from an innocent man being incarcerated for a moron's arrogance."

It took a minute of puppy-dog-eyes, but Ririka acquiesced with a sigh. "Alright, fine. But please, for the love of God, be careful!" Jade nodded, and the elder woman pulled back with a sigh. "Well, shoo. I can see your mind is made up. Put away your clothes first, then make an excuse to Rika. I don't want her thinking it's okay to just do whatever she wants. It's much too piratey. The only reason I haven't already made you leave is because you're too nice to be a pirate, and I sense that you have good intentions."

Jade's insides warmed at the praise, even though the talk about pirates had confused her. Did this world have pirates, then? Honestly, she was still trying to work things out without having to ask. She didn't want to seem too out of place, and something told her asking about pirates would do just that. Especially since she'd already claimed to have a father stationed in the Grand Line. Maybe that's something she could ask about, but later. When there wasn't a chance of anyone overhearing it. "Thanks, Ririka. I promise, I won't do anything stupid!"

Half an hour later found Jade in the exact same spot as last night. Amazingly enough, the security was worse in the daytime than it was at night. The same patrol of the same marines rounded wall, and Jade sped from her hiding place to scramble gracelessly over the wall. She'd been far more graceful last night, but she was trying to differentiate herself as much as she could. When she turned back around, Zoro was already glaring at her. "What is it with you people and not knowing what's good for you?" he grumbled, only just loud enough for her to hear.

Jade didn't answer and sauntered forward, making sure to put as much confidence as she could in her stride. She stopped barely a yard away and quickly backpedaled, waving her hands in front of her face. "Oh, dear Gods! Holy shit, dude, you freaking _stink_. Are they not even letting you use the bathroom?!"

Zoro's glare turned murderous and he growled. "Say that to my face when I get released and I'll _show_ you the reason they locked me up." Which, of course, was a bluff. Rika had pretty much ruined whatever chance Zoro had of making himself seem scary. Something in Jade's expression must have shown her amusement, and he snapped. "What the hell are you doing here anyway, _girl?_ They'll kill you if they find you!"

But she wasn't listening anymore. She'd gotten over the stench and gotten closer, only to spot the bleeding wounds and bruises all over him. A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with fear or the cold, and Zoro seemed to sense the shift in her mood. "Those wounds. Did the marines give them to you?" Her voice remained even, not giving away the wrath that boiled in her belly. Those bastards. Those dishonorable, cheating, unfair _bastards._ She'd _throttle_ them! No, she'd throttle Helmeppo. He was the reason Zoro was tied up and helpless.

The swordsman grunted, drawing Jade from her thoughts of vengeance. "These are nothing. I've been in worse shape than this after fighting pirates with bounties." Then he realized he was comforting someone he didn't know about his own injuries, and his eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. "Why do you care? It's not any of your business whether they're letting me use the bathroom or not."

Oh, right. That reminded her of her original purpose. Jade had the distinct feeling he would have jerked back in surprise if he hadn't been tied to a pole when she bowed at her waist. "I wanted to thank you for saving Rika, that little girl, from Helmeppo's dog. I've been staying with her family for the past few days and she told me about the incident. You did what I couldn't do in protecting her, and I'm thankful for that."

Five, four, three, two, one... Five seconds of bowing submissively was all Jade could stand before she straightened herself. And to her surprise, Roronoa Zoro was looking away with a slight pink tinge to his face. "That wasn't necessary. I was just doing what I felt was right..." Jade couldn't help the snicker that made it's way out, and the pink tinge got darker. "Oh, shut up!"

Jade was about to respond when a high-pitched chortle made them both tense up and look. Helmeppo stood there with his usual bodyguards behind him and his head cocked to the side. "Well well, isn't this surprising. I come expecting to put Roronoa in his place and instead I find Major Maverick's daughter consorting with him." He shook his head with a 'tsk tsk' and sauntered forward to lean against the sign Jade had ignored up until now. "Can't you read, dear? This sign says-"

She cut him off so sharply that everyone flinched. "I can read just fine, you arrogant bastard. It says anyone caught _helping_ Zoro. I haven't given him any food or water, and the only thing I'm saving him from is boredom." The silence was so thick Jade could have choked on it. She instead met Helmeppo's fuming face with a smirk. "You can't do shit, Helmeppo. By putting him in the public yard, you gave everyone who wanted to see him permission. If I want to sit here for the next two hours to have a conversation with him," she sat down on the floor with crossed legs, still smirking, "then I damn well will."

Helmeppo spluttered and Jade swore she saw the marines biting their lips to keep from laughing, if the slight shaking of their shoulders was any give away. She almost expected the blond pansy to start cursing and try to hit her, but instead he let out a yell and stomped away. The marines waited until he was farther away before turning to Jade and flashing her a thumbs up. Jade gave a sarcastic salute, and they had to quickly turn and turn to catch up with Helmeppo before he was gone.

She looked up at Zoro again with a smile to see him looking torn between amusement and shock. The amusement was slowly winning though, and he started cackling loud enough for it to echo. To any normal person, it would be rather eerie the way his bandanna shadowed over his eyes and blood was all over him. Jade waited patiently for him to calm down, which only took about a minute. He grinned at her, eyes sparkling with a light that hadn't been there before: respect. "Okay, I'll bite. Who are you?"

Jade smirked and bowed her head in greeting. "Jus' call me Jade. Ririka and Rika found me unconscious on the beach, like, three to four days ago. The last thing I remember is drowning in my family's backyard, so I've no clue how that happened. My father is Major Maverick and is currently stationed in the Grand Line. I haven't seen him since I was ten, and I'm 19 now. But when perverts flirt with me, I act like I'm still a kid." She had the strongest urge to also add that she was from another world and was a secret ninja, but that might not have been a good idea. Instead, she asked him, "And you?"

Zoro blinked the shock from Jade's sudden information overload and shook his head. "Roronoa Zoro. I practice Santoryu, three sword style. My swords are my greatest treasures in the world, and I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman someday!"

She frowned at that, and her hand subconsciously started going to her hip where her tattoos were. Jade broke herself out of her thoughts before they could start and instead smiled at him. "Roronoa, I do believe this is the start of a... well, not _beautiful_, but oddly infuriating and fulfilling friendship!" He seemed to not know how to take that, and Jade's smile widened. "Just trust me, I'm good at predicting this kind of thing."

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**Pages: 6**

**Words: 3054**

**Me: Same deal as last time. I swear, my fingers really want me to write this in first person... Someone tell me if Zoro is OOC. I always hear how he's one of the toughest characters to write.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Shiningheart of ThunderClan doesn't own One Piece.**

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Chapter 4: Pirate King?

The next week passed like that. Every afternoon, she went to see Zoro and every other night, she fed and watered him. No matter what time of day she went, he had more and more wounds. Zoro knew something was off about the arrangement, but he didn't know what. He still thought his helper was an easily annoyed male who had no reason to help him but still did, and he thought Jade was only a sarcastic and rebellious girl.

Since that initial introduction between Jade and Helmeppo, things had just gotten worse. Their meetings devolved from snarky comments to sheer hate. Whenever Helmeppo threatened to tell his father, she'd bring up the fictional Major Maverick and he'd back off. Reactions from the townspeople was a mixture between respect and fear. Jade had given them no reason to fear her, but they'd suffered enough from Helmeppo and Morgan that they didn't want another corrupted official and their child around.

Despite that, Ririka had continued to allow Jade to live and work at the restaurant with her family. Sometimes Jade thought the older woman saw her as a daughter, and it always made her glow with happiness. Rika had become slightly more outgoing and defiant, but nothing enough to draw attention to her. Mostly she made childish faces at Helmeppo behind his back, something which Jade found increasingly funny.

By this time, she knew everyone by face and name. So when two teenage boys that she didn't recognize came to eat, she was curious. The taller boy had shaggy black hair that wasn't quite hidden by his straw hat. He wore a sleeveless red vest that showed just how skinny he was. There was barely any muscle on him, but Jade's instincts still screamed at her to keep a close eye on him. He wore blue jeans that were (either ripped off the knee, folded so the insides showed, or tipped with white fur), and sandals on his feet. He also had a small scar on his face, just under his left eye.

His companion was a foot shorter than him, with the oddest hair color Jade had seen. Pink. Not hot pink that suggested it was dyed, or even cotton candy pink. It was more the kind of pink that people get for newborn babies saying, _"It's a girl!"_ He wore thick-framed round glasses and had chub to his cheeks, but that was it. He too was skinny, but not in the way of his friend. More of an underfed but forced to work skinny. He wore a white shirt that had black stripes in the sleeves and dark pants. The feeling she got from him was more of a 'not worth your time' one.

Jade approached them with a smile and a notebook. "Howdy fellas! I haven't seen you around here before! What'll you have?" The dark-haired one yelled 'meat' with a smile that looked painful while the pink-haired one quietly ordered grilled fish and rice. Jade yelled the orders back at Ririka before turning back to them. "So who're you guys? Sailors just coming in?"

Pinky looked like he was about to respond, but Straw Hat got to it before him. "I'm a pirate! Koby's here to join the marines, but I'm looking for a guy to join my crew!" The pink-haired one- Koby, was it?- looked like he was about to cry. Poor little bugger probably thought they'd be run out of town. "I'm Luffy, and I'm gonna be king of the pirates!"

Koby looked at her in exasperation, and she got the feeling that Luffy said this a lot. Both boys looked at her, expecting a reaction, but Jade could only nod and say, "That's nice." Their eyes widened, and Jade got the distinct feeling she either said something wrong or didn't give the reaction they were expecting. A couple stood up from another table, and Jade bowed her head. "Excuse me."

As she walked to clear the now vacant table, the boys went back to their conversation. Jade kept half an ear on their conversation, not wanting to eavesdrop but also not being able to help herself. They only talked about stuff she didn't understand, about someone named Alvida and her pirate ship and Koby wondering where she landed. Made no sense to Jade, but Luffy just laughed it off. Ririka called her over to grab their food, and they thanked her before eating.

Well, Koby began eating. Luffy began _inhaling. _Jade had to pause and stare before registering just how horrible his table manners were. He talked with his mouth stuffed full and sprayed food everywhere. While Koby grimaced, he didn't say anything. Something about it made her think he was used to it and her curiosity grew a little more. Luffy had said that Koby wanted to join the marines, and she didn't think marines would tolerate something like that.

They finished eating soon enough and said something about parting ways. Koby was quacking on about about how much Luffy had done for him and how he'd never be able to repay him. Luffy was either ignoring the boy's heartfelt gratitude or just didn't notice. Honestly, it could go either way with him. "Hey, I just remembered! They're supposed to have that guy locked up here, right? Rorona Zoro."

_CRASH!_

Jade felt an annoyed twitch form in her eye as the townspeople freakin' _flew_ to the other side of the building, away from the boys. Tables and chairs were knocked over and food, good food gone to waste, littered the floor. Jade grumbled incoherently and picked up the furniture, knowing Ririka had worked hard on making her customers happy with their meals. Now it all meant nothing. "Maybe we shouldn't mention his name here." Koby whispered, looking at cowards fearing a name.

Jee, ya think? And it's _Roronoa_, ya straw-hatted goober. The customers slowly got back into their seats, apologizing for the mess. Some even offered to help clean up. While Jade would have loved to accept, Ririka gave her a silent warning glare. She was forced to turn them down and asked if they wanted more food, since they probably hadn't been done yet. In the background, Koby and Luffy were speculating on the strange reactions.

At least, Koby was speculating. Luffy was laughing. The shorter male shrugged it off and went back to his conversation. "Yes, he's here. And I also saw a poster that said Captain Morgan is stationed here too!"

_CRASH!_

Jade's patience snapped, and she kicked a broken chair at the townspeople. "Would you people knock it off?! Just saying his name _won't_ make him come down here!" At least some of them had the decency to look sheepish. Jade spun around to glare that the laughing dark-haired boy. "And _you!_ Stop laughing! It's not funny that that bloody marine has the townspeople so terrified they shake at the mere mention of him!"

_That_ got his attention. He tilted his head tilted to the side, wide eyes blinking at her. "Aren't _you_ one of the townspeople? Why didn't you jump away when they did?" Though Jade tried not to show it, his words hit her. She'd been living there for close to a week and a half and, despite everyone's friendliness and hospitality, she hadn't even started to consider this place home. Luffy broke into her thoughts. "Meh, whatever. Hey, lady, can you tell us where the marine base is?"

Jade rolled her eyes and huffed. "Depends. Why are you trying to find Zoro? Cause if you're goin' ta' laugh, take my suggestion and don't. He doesn't take kindly to it." A smile came unbidden to her lips at one of the memories.

Luffy gave a manly giggle. How he managed that, Jade didn't know or want to know. "No, I'm gonna see if he's a good person or not! If he is, I'll let him join my pirate crew!" For a moment, she imagined Roronoa Zoro, stubborn, righteous, pig-headed Zoro, in a pirate crew. She promptly burst out laughing, and when she finished, Luffy looked a little less genial and a little more pouty. "What's so funny? I wanna get in on the joke!"

She smirked and put her hands on her hips, leaning forward to enunciate her words. "Let's make a bet, kiddo. If you can make Zoro join your crew, I'll join too. Then you'll have two more crewmembers instead of just one. Deal?" Luffy grinned widely and shook Jade's hand so wildly that when he finally let go, she massaged her shoulder with a grimace. "Take a right outside the door and keep going. It's the giant ass blue and white building; kind of hard to miss." Luffy just grinned, blinking at her. Jade sighed and looked at Koby. "I can trust you with that, right?"

He chuckled, for once not nervously, and nodded. "Yeah, I got it. Straight to the left until we reach a big building." Well, at least one of them could be trusted with directions. She hoped so, in any case. It would suck if they got lost in a straight line. Seriously, who freaking did that?

They stood from their chairs and Jade let them pass. "Tell Zoro I said I'd be down in about two hours." Koby was the one who nodded and sprinted after his friend. Jade didn't know if Luffy heard her or not, but if Zoro didn't get the message, it wasn't her fault. As they paid Ririka at the cash register and went out the door, Rika skipped up to her with a paper towel wrapped over something. "And what do you have there, Rika-dear?"

She raised up her hands and beamed. "Rice balls!" Jade used one of her hands to lift part of the paper towel. The sight of such simple food made her belly growl, and Rika giggled before taking them back. "There's more in the kitchen for when you take your break. It's my first time making them, so I hope they taste good!"

Jade laughed and ruffled the little girl's head affectionately. "I'm sure they're marvelous, sweetie. Now run along and play; I need to clean up this area before I even begin to think about eating." Rika nodded happily and left. Jade sighed and picked up the dishes left from Luffy and Koby. First she'd wash the dishes, then she'd clean the table. After that, she'd mop up the floor. Ugh, seriously, how did Ririka do this by herself, dammit? She'll probably feel guilty about leaving her when she did, whether Luffy did get Zoro to join or not.

It was a half hour later that Rika burst into the doors, smile wider than ever and lacking the rice balls she'd had with her. She ran to Jade so fast that she collided with Jade's legs. She instinctively reached out to keep from falling down, and an outstretched hand caught hers. No, really, the hand freaking _stretched_. Jade blinked at it and followed the arm to see Luffy smirking at her while he was still standing at the door. Jade gaped at him, looking back and forth between him and the hand she still had in her own. "Jade, Jade, guess what?! Mister Roronoa ate the rice balls I made!"

She immediately released Luffy's hand to stare down at the child in distress. "You _what?_" Jade looked around swiftly to see if any marines were nearby to hear. Luckily, the only patrons were some locals who conveniently turned a deaf ear to Rika's unnecessarily loud proclamation. "_Are you insane?_" She knelt down to stare the child in the eyes, more serious than she'd ever felt in her life. "The only reason I go there is to talk to him, _not_ feed him. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have gotten in if you were caught?" She looked away suddenly at that, and Jade felt herself pale. "You got caught, didn't you?"

She nodded slowly. "Y-yes... Stupid Helmeppo had me thrown over the wall when he stomped the food into the ground. Mister Roronoa told Mister Luffy to feed him it, mud and all. He must have been really hungry to still want it!" Jade knew the truth. It had nothing to do with hunger; Zoro just hadn't wanted Rika to feel bad. Really, the mosshead was only further destroying his reputation. And at least Helmeppo hadn't had her killed, so that was hopefully a plus. Maybe the bastard really did have a heart.

Of course, right as she thought that, she heard the blond's teeth-grating voice chortle from outside. "You're not bowing your heads low enough, scum!" Jade growled a swear word, and the mostly silent Luffy and Koby moved out of the way when she barged passed them. Helmeppo was doing that ridiculous walk of his down the road. And on either side of the road, the townspeople were literally down on their knees with their heads pressed submissively to the ground. "Do you want me to tell my father on you?!"

Jade stalked forward, ripping the apron off herself and throwing it back to Rika. Without a word, she stepped into the isle and directly in front of the pansy. "And what are you going to do to me for not bowing at all? Oh wait, that's right, you can't do anything."

Normally he would have spluttered indignantly. That was what happened the last few times they'd butted heads. Instead, that fugly face of his just grew more twisted. "Jade, dear! I was just coming to see you!" The way he said it made the alarms in her head go off. He'd never once come specifically to annoy her. "I just thought you'd like a bit of a heads up. Your friend, Roronoa Zoro? I'm getting bored of waiting for him to die, so I'll do it myself!"

Jade clenched her fists so tightly she thought she'd broken the skin of her palm. The look she leveled at Helmeppo made him quickly lose the arrogant air. "Excuse me, Helmep-ass? I don't think I quite heard you. Did you just say that you are going to _kill_ Zoro?"

Helmeppo tried to get back that mask of self-importance. "That's right, my dear! It's clear he's going to die soon anyway. Why, killing him now would be an act of mercy! I know how fond you are of him. I trust you have no objections to it?"

Oh, she had _plenty _of objections to it. But before she could get to them, Luffy stepped up next to her with a... a _look_ in his eyes. "But you said you'd release him after a month! That was the deal, right? He survives without food or water and you let him go without trouble!"

Hm? Did Zoro tell him about that? Because Jade most certainly didn't. Helmeppo looked confused, but only for a second. The blinking of his eyes was enough to tell her his surprise, but then the wall was back up between him and the world of peasants. "Wherever did you hear about that?" He waved his hand dismissively, a malicious light coming to his eye. "That promise was just a joke! I'm surprised even Jade fell for it; I was never going to let the dumb brute go!"

Well, this was just creepy. He complimented her, in a backwards sort of way. Didn't take away the insane urge to deck him across the face, though. But she wasn't fast enough. Luffy sprinted up to Helmeppo and slugged him hard enough to send him to the ground. His expression had turned furious. Jade had no doubt that he would have continued wailing on the brat if Koby hadn't come up behind him and restrained him. If Luffy had really wanted to, he could have easily shaken Koby off and went on. She could hear exclamations from the townspeople from shock, but only one caught her attention. "Hey, if he hadn't done it, then Jade would have!"

Glad to know they knew her so well. Koby was still struggling to pull Luffy backwards, even if he wasn't really fighting it. "Luffy, stop! Calm down!"

More calmly than Jade would have thought, Luffy replied, "That guy is scum." He growled at the crying Helmeppo who had blood streaming from both nostrils. Luffy must have gotten him good. "Koby, I've made my decision. I'm going to ask Zoro to join my crew!"

The marines snapped from their shock at seeing their 'boss' on the ground and helped him up. Helmeppo had little crocodile tears running down his cheeks, and he pointed furiously at the straw hat-wearing pirate. "You! How dare you hit me! No one has ever hit me before!"

Jade interrupted before he could go on. "Not for lack of wanting to, I can assure you of that." He stared at her in shock, and she glared hatefully at him. "Get out of here, Helmeppo. And you better hope to God that when I come up there again, you are far away from me."

This was more like it. He was stuttering so badly Jade couldn't make out what he was saying. Then he scrambled up and pointed at both her and Luffy, and neither of them were very impressed. "You... You... _**I'm telling Daddy on you!**_"

Luffy stepped forward and went, "Don't run crying to Papa! Face me like a man!", at the exact same time Jade rolled her eyes and drawled, "Yes, running to your father is very Draco Malfoy-ish of you. Except he's a way more appreciable sight than you." None of them understood the insult, but that didn't stop Luffy from laughing. Honestly, Jade was starting to think he'd laugh anything that even sounded remotely like an insult.

The marines each took an arm of Helmeppo and carried him between them. Because the dork couldn't be bothered to take his eyes off of her and Luffy to walk. "You'll both die begging for mercy! You two are walking _corpses!_" He looked at Jade with narrowed eyes. "You especially, Jade! I don't care who your father is, you've crossed me too many times! You're dead, do you hear me woman?! DEAD!"

He kept spewing threats and insults to the both of them until he was gone from hearing range. Koby didn't release Luffy until after the blond was out of sight, and already he was freaking out. "Now you've done it! The both of you! The navy won't let you get away with this!" Though Koby couldn't see it, Jade was _sure_ Luffy rolled his eyes at the pinkette's obnoxious fretting. She had to resist the urge herself.

Rika, who she'd forgotten about, scurried up to Luffy's side with bright eyes. "That was awesome, big brother! You and big sister were both incredible! I feel alot better now!" She fumbled slightly in her happiness. "Though, Jade, now you'll have to leave, right? There's no way Hel-jerk-o will let you live."

The nickname made Jade splutter with laughter. Now why hadn't she thought of that before? A call from the restaurant made them all look over, and Ririka stood there with a panicked look. "Rika, come over from there! If they see you talking to him, they'll kill you too!" When Rika pouted and slunk over, Ririka looked at Jade, torn between wanting to do what was best for her daughter and wanting to treat Jade like a daughter as well.

Jade made the decision for her, and called gently with a smile. "Ririka, you've done so much for me over the past week. You've welcomed a stranger into your home and you treated me like a daughter. I'll never forget the kindness you've shown, but I need to ask you to do one more thing for me." She waited for Ririka to nod warily before continuing. "I need either you or Rika to pack up my stuff. I've overstayed my welcome by too far, and it's time I moved on."

Understanding lit up her face before it sagged into sadness. She nodded again, and Jade swore she saw the starting of tears in her eyes when she turned and scurried inside. Jade looked back at Luffy to see him staring seriously at her. They watched each other for a few moments, a few long, silent moments. Even Koby had shut his pie-hole due to the tension. Luffy suddenly split his face into a wide grin, and he stuck out a hand. "Crew member?" he asked excitedly.

Jade smiled and shook his hand once before pulling back. "Crew member, whether Zoro joins or not. I do, however, suggest we go rescue the stupid mosshead before Helmeppo takes his frustration out on him. Trust me, he's done it before." That got the three of them running, and soon the marine base loomed overhead. Jade instinctively turned down the alley she always hid in during her night visits. Koby stopped with her, but Luffy ran right on ahead and freaking _jumped_ over the entire wall. "Dang, kid's got some power in them legs."

Koby nodded and looked at Jade seriously. "Will you really join his pirate crew? It means you'll be chased all over the world for the rest of your life, never being allowed to settle down or stay in one place for very long."

She ruffled his hair impulsively, much like what she'd do to Rika when she found something particularly adorable. "Your concern is touching, hon, but unnecessary. I was just waiting for something like this to happen; if Luffy hadn't come along when he did, I would have done something about the situation sooner or later. And besides that, pirating is a good way to cure wanderlust as well as a thirst for adventure, right?"

He ran a hand through his hair, his face holding both a small grin and a large blush. From farther away, they heard Zoro's voice scream out something like, "YOU LITTLE RAT!"

Jade laughed slightly and stepped out from the alley. "Sounds like that's our queue. Can you get over the wall okay, or should I stay behind to help you?" He shook his head and moved to scramble in an undignified way to the top. "Kid gets points for trying, at least." She waited until he was scrambling to the top in an undignified fashion before taking a running start. When she jumped, she caught the edge of the top and easily pulled herself up. Koby stopped climbing to stare at her in bug-eyed shock. He started to fall backwards, but Jade grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him over until he fell to the ground on the right side of the wall. "Jeeze, Koby, would it kill ya to have a little grace?"

Koby grumbled and rubbed his chin, which he'd landed on, before running up to Zoro. The swordsman was staring, not at the pinkette, but at Jade. Either Koby didn't realize or he didn't care. "Where's Luffy?" Zoro didn't answer, still staring at the woman. Jade raised her eyebrow as realization slowly bled into the swordsman's eyes. "Hey, Zoro!" Koby snapped in front of him, and Zoro jolted like he'd just been zapped. "Where did Luffy go?"

Zoro gestured with his head as best he could towards the marine base. "In there. Idiot went to get my swords and is planning on holding them hostage to make me join his pirate crew." Koby started freaking about about Luffy's recklessness and Zoro scoffed. "Yeah, I'm starting to notice. Oi, Jade. About that jump just now."

She smirked and crossed her arms, exactly how she did when she first met him as Jade. "Finally figured it out, then, have you? I have to say, it's about time. I guess those muscles really are bigger than your brain." Both Zoro and Koby blinked at her and she shrugged. "Helmeppo said it, like, three days ago. I defended you, though. Well, not so much 'defended' as 'turned the insult around on the bastard'. But that's a story for another time. For now, let's get rid of those ropes! Koby, get this side."

He nodded and started to work on Zoro's right arm while Jade went after the left one. Zoro spluttered, looking back and forth between her and Koby. "What happened to 'only saving him from his boredom'?" he demanded with a glower. "They'll kill the both of you for trying to let me- OW!" Zoro winced and would have rubbed the bump Jade's fist had left on his head if he wasn't still tied up. "The hell was that for, woman?!"

Jade smirked at him. "For talking bullshit. They're not letting you go, Zoro." He gaped at her, like it had never crossed his mind that Helmeppo might have lied about it. Poor silly misguided mosshead. Not everyone is like you in keeping their promises!

From his side, Koby nodded frantically. "Yeah, that's right! Helmeppo was going on about it in town. He never intended to follow through. The navy's going to execute you in three days, so we have to-" _Pow_. The spray of blood that came from Koby at the unexpected gunshot nearly stopped Jade's heart. She'd never seen anyone get shot, and the movies never even got close to the experience. Her blood pounded in her veins, and she barely registered the look of promised doom Zoro sent the roof of the marine building, where the shot had come from. "AH, BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING! I'M GONNA DIE!"

It snapped her from her shock. "Put pressure on it. I'll take the bullet out later if it didn't go through." He shakily stood and gave a negative on the through-and-through. "Dammit. Well, at least it didn't seem to hit an artery. If that was the case, there'd be a lot more blood." For someone that had never seen so much blood, Jade felt she was handling it rather well. She was more surprised that Koby was able to shake it off after only a second of freaking out. Maybe there was hope for him yet. "Can you move your arm?"

He rolled his shoulder with a painful wince, but the mobility didn't seem very hindered. "Yeah. It just hurts really, _really_ badly." Jade didn't doubt it. He had a higher pain tolerance than she would have thought if he was acting like it was nothing. Really, she had to get the story behind that.

Zoro puffed a sigh of relief. "Good, you're alive. Now the both of you, get the hell out of here! They're on their way down. Don't worry about me, I won't die so easily!" Jade ignored him. "Hey, are you listening?" She still ignored him, concentrating on the knot she was trying to undo. "Dammit Jade, stop ignoring me!"

Though she didn't look up, she did at least answer him. "Do you remember what I said to you that night I first watered you? About how you repay someone who's trying to help you?" Zoro glared at her and nodded. "Well, this is me repaying you for saving Rika. You're perfectly allowed to get yourself captured and tied up again for a month when this is over, though. I'm leaving with Luffy to be a pirate, whether you join his crew or not."

Koby glared at Jade from where he'd gone back to working on the ropes. "How can you say that?! Isn't he a friend of yours? Why would you help him if you were just going to let him get captured again?"

Jade looked steadily at Koby, ignoring the way Zoro seemed to be listening intently for her answer. "Don't misunderstand me, Koby. I like to think he's a friend, though I can't say what he thinks. But as of today, I'm a pirate. If Luffy doesn't convince him to join, he's a pirate hunter. When we meet again, it will probably be with a lot more hostility than now." She gave a half-smile to the swordsman. "And I have a feeling he'd be able to kick my ass."

Zoro smirked at her, seeming strangely relaxed now that she called him a friend. "You got that right. No way your puny little hide could stand up to me." He looked down at Koby with narrowed eyes. "Doesn't explain why this one is helping, though."

Koby trembled slightly at being addressed in such a manner. "Luffy... When Helmeppo said he never intended to keep his promise, Luffy punched him." Zoro's eyes widened, but that was the only visual hint of his surprise. "That's why I'm helping you. The navy is your enemy now. I won't ask you to become a pirate, but if I let you go, I want you to help Luffy and Jade escape!" He fumbled slightly after he finished speaking. "P-please... If it isn't too inconvenient..."

And there goes the respect Jade had found for him. "Smooth, Koby. Smooth." she deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. The ropes on her side loosened slightly. "Almost there. Can you move your arm ye-"

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Jade whipped around to see a squadron of marines pointing rifles at the three of them, two for each. She recognized about half of them as bodyguards for Helmeppo. "CAPTAIN MORGAN HAS ORDERED YOUR IMMEDIATE EXECUTION!" Koby was crying again, and both he and Zoro were sweating. Her reaction was more along the lines of an internal rant filled with curses and promises to God that she'd probably never be able to keep if they all just got out of it alive.

From the base, a large figure she'd never seen before stepped forward. From the giant axe that replaced his hand- oh, gross, did they just shove the entire axe into his arm and leave it like that? Seriously, his elbow was the same length as her forearm! That's just gross. Anyway, Jade deduced from the _grosstastic_ ax and blond hair that it was Captain Axe-Hand Morgan. Compared to the axe and the metal jaw he was sporting, his outfit was kind of plain. A captain's jacket unbuttoned, a silk black shirt, and white pants with what looks like slashes of black paint. "SURROUND THE FORTRESS! DON'T LET THE STRAW HAT KID ESCAPE, OR ELSE!"

Okay, so he was actually rather intimidating. And he had that look in his eye that said 'this bitch is dead'. Jade had the distinct feeling that one was directed towards her. "So, you're the girl that Helmeppo's been complaining about recently. You've caused me quite a couple of headaches, woman."

Jade gave him the best blank look she could. "Your son is Helmeppo. That idiot is a walking headache." And that was something everyone could agree with. "I don't suppose there's any way we can solve this peacefully, Captain Morgan?"

He snorted, a look of disgust crossing his face. "Don't make me laugh. You and those boys are plotting to overthrow me!" ... Of course, how could Jade have been so blind?! This whole time, Zoro was manipulating her thought process before he even knew she existed, all for the reason of getting Captain Morgan off his high horse! Because the universe just _revolved_ around his _big fat head._ "Roronoa Zoro!" Oh God, was he still going on? "Peasants and pirates may tremble at your name, but you're no match for The Great One!" Well, at least now Jade knew where Helmeppo got his arrogance. "You may be a barracuda, but I'm a _**great white shark!**_"

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Says the guy hiding behind a bunch of minnows!" She looked at the marines she knew and nodded at them. "No offense, ya'll." They didn't react, but their eyes showed just how much they regretted what was happening.

Morgan snarled wordlessly before commanding his minions. "Take aim!" The marines did so, some more shakily than the others. Jade felt Zoro start to shake, and Koby was freaking hyperventilating. Jade angled herself as well as she could to block the both of them. They both had dreams to still live out; she didn't. "FIRE!"

Despite herself, Jade closed her eyes. She didn't want to see her death approaching. In the distance, she heard the sound of glass breaking right before the marines fired their guns. Zoro and Koby gave shouts, and Jade opened her eyes to see stretching skin about three inches from her face. "Luffy!"

Her captain stood in front of the three of them with arms spread wide to protect them. She couldn't see expression from the way he was facing, but she imagined it to be his ever present grin. Luffy hunched over with crossed arms, and Jade caught sight of his eyes for a split millisecond. The look in them was playful and mischievous. She barely registered that before he stood fully and uncrossed his arms. "Bullets can't hurt me!"

The bullets that Luffy caught shot out of their body at the same speed, if not faster, then when they were shot. Some marines dodged and some were hit, but thankfully no one was killed. One of the bullets flew right passed Captain Morgan's head, and the look on his face made Jade double over with laughter. His eyes looked like they were popping out of his head.

The sound of a body hitting the floor made her look behind her. Poor Koby had collapsed to the floor with foam coming from his mouth. Well, he wouldn't be any use anymore. Not that he was in the first place, really. Zoro, on the other hand, was openly gaping at Luffy. "What... What _are_ you?!"

Luffy turned towards him with a smirk and, if Jade thought it was possible, a twinkle in his eye. "I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" If he'd been able to, Zoro would have gaped even more. Apparently being King of the Pirates was a big deal. Luffy reached for a cloth that he had tied around his chest that she hadn't seen before, and three swords swing around from his back to his front. "So which sword is yours? I didn't know, so I just grabbed all three of them."

Zoro answered at the same time Jade did. "**They're all mine/his.**" The mosshead glared at her, which she answered with a smile and an innocent blink. She gestured with her hand for him to finish speaking. "I practice Santoryuu, three-sword-style. And what the hell do you mean King of the Pirates?!" He cut his black eyes to Jade. "Did you know about this? Why didn't you say anything?"

She had to cover her ass quick. It wasn't that she'd forgotten, she just hadn't thought it warranted attention. Maybe Luffy and Koby had been right to look at her weird when she didn't react back at Ririka's place... Jade's smile turned sarcastic and she mocked, "What, and ruin the surprise? I wanted to see your face when he told you himself. And boy, was that face worth it!" Zoro's glare turned murderous in a way it hadn't since her first daytime visit. "So, Mister Pirate Hunter," she looked at the marines, watching them freak out over Luffy's ability to redirect their bullets, "what will it be? Fight with us and be branded a bad guy, or stay to your 'morals' and die a useless death?"

Luffy pouted at her in childish innocence. "Aw, I wanted to say something cool like that... No fair, Jade!" She found herself giggling- yes, _giggling_- at her captain. He stuck his tongue out at her before grinning at Zoro. "So, what is it?"

Zoro scowled at them. "You two must be the spawn of the devil. But I'm not one to give up so easily! Fine, you've got yourself a pirate!" Jade whooped loudly, happy that he'd given in without too much of a fuss. Luffy cheered as well, just not as loud. She wasn't sure what to think about that... Zoro rolled his eyes. "I haven't got much of a choice. Now hurry up and untie me!"

Luffy went at the ropes that Koby had failed to untie and Jade continued with the arm she'd been working on. The marines started freaking out about them untying Zoro when Morgan ordered them to attack with swords. They came charging with their sharp, pointy weapons and Zoro started panicking. Jade cursed and stepped away from them. "I'll stall them. Your left arm should be at least loose by now; try and break the ropes."

Koby chose that brilliant time to wake up. She heard him cry for her to stop as she ran towards the oncoming mass. She instinctively looked for any weak spots and spotted one of them hesitating. It was one of the marines who'd been with Helmeppo when he'd first come to Ririka's restaurant. That split second hesitation was all Jade needed to be on him. He swung his sword at her head, but she ducked under the blade and grabbed his wrist with one hand and his shoulder with the other.

The marine cried out in shock when he suddenly found his arm wrenched into the air, and the man next to them had to hold his own sword up to block. Jade used her temporary captive's weight to throw him into three other men. She ducked without looking behind her to avoid a man trying to tackle her. Jade got onto her hands and kicked out her legs, sending him into the growing dog pile.

There were five more marines, and she didn't recognize any of them. Not that it mattered; at this point, even the men she knew were annoyed with her. She heard Luffy cry out about undoing one of Zoro's arms just as the remaining soldiers charged with battle cries. "Just give me one of my swords!" Jade blinked and missed what happened next. All she knew was that one moment, she had five marines bearing down on her and the next, Zoro was in front of her and using his three swords to block them. "You okay?" he asked her.

Jade nodded dumbly, half-amazed at the display of swordsmanship she'd never seen and half-amazed that he could speak with the hilt of his white sword in his mouth. "Y-yeah... How are you talking with that sword in your mouth?"

Zoro wisely ignored her question in favor of threatening the marines. "First one to move dies." They gulped and took it to heart, not even trying to disengage their weapons. The mosshead moved his eyes towards Luffy, who seemed to literally have stars in his eyes from how 'cool' Zoro looked. "Listen here, brat. You may be looking to be King, but I have my own goal. I'm going to be the World's Greatest Swordsman. If I ever have to abandon my dream because of you, I'm going to make you commit hara kiri!"

Naturally, Jade had no idea what this was. And so she raised her hand into the air with a tilt to her head. "Question!"

And without her having to even ask, Zoro rolled his eyes and answered. "Suicide by sword. Any other stupid questions you have can be answered _after_ we deal with these marines. Got it?" She stuck her tongue out at him in retort. "Jeeze, how old are you? Twelve?"

She huffed at him. "I believe I answered that on our first daytime meeting, so I see no reason to answer." He made a face at her, which took real talent considering his face was still overshadowed by his bandanna and his mouth was currently full. "Oh don't give me that. You shouldn't ask questions you already know the answer to!"

Luffy laughed at their bickering. "Hee hee, you two are funny! But I suggest you duck! Gum Gum-", Jade yelped when Zoro pulled her down to the ground with one of his arms, "-WHIP!" He kicked his leg out and it stretched to sweep away all of the marines at Zoro's back.

Jade laughed slightly at the wails and yelps the victims had released during the contact. Zoro let her go and stood up himself, looking at Luffy with less shock than before and more curiosity. "Okay, seriously, what in the hell are you?" He looked at Jade, as if she could answer him. She shrugged, just as out of the loop, but bothered enough to drop her amused smile.

The dark-haired boy shook his foot at them teasingly. "I'm a rubber man!" Because that totally meant anything to Jade. But she thought asking too many questions might seem suspicious, so she just nodded like that totally made sense. The marines near Morgan started whimpering about how they couldn't fight against a monster, a demon, and a girl. Jade took offense to that, but didn't protest with anything more than a grumble and a pout.

Morgan had his head bowed in what seemed like defeat as he listened to his men gripe and groan. His face was thrown in shadows from where she was standing, and she couldn't see his expression, but she had a bad feeling. He wouldn't have become a captain if he were a coward. What the marine official did next, though, stunned her into speechlessness. "Those of you who just complained, listen up. I want you all to _shoot yourselves in the head!_" He raised his head to glare at his subordinates, and the cold indifference in his eye made Jade's stomach morph into a solid chunk of ice. "I will not tolerate defeatists in my outfit! On my order, fire!"

Jade waited for the marines to refuse. To throw their guns down. For them to do _something_ that suggested they weren't going to listen. Her jaw dropped when the marines, each quivering and sweating, pointed their rifles at their heads. Jade started running at the same time as Luffy when Zoro said, "There's something seriously wrong with these marines!"

She paused long enough to shout, "NO DUH!" at him, but it was long enough for Luffy to get to Morgan. She didn't bother to start running again and instead pumped her fist when her captain threw a punch at the marine, only for his axe to block it. "GO LUFFY, BEAT HIM BLOODY!" She got looks from both Koby and Zoro, looks which she huffed at. "He annoyed me. People who annoy me deserve to be beaten bloody."

Zoro rolled his eyes, but Koby looked like she'd just threatened to eat him. He quickly scurried to be what he deemed a safe distance from her before looking over at Luffy. He seemed to get a bit of courage and shouted, "LUFFY, DESTROY THIS LOUSY NAVY!"

Morgan threw away his Captain's jacket with a dramatic flourish, revealing his black shirt to be sleeveless. He seemed to be entirely centered on Luffy. "Hmph! You have neither rank, nor status! I'll teach you to defy your betters!" He crossed his axe-hand over his chest and roared for everyone to hear, "I AM CAPTAIN AXE-HAND MORGAN!"

Luffy put a hand to his straw hat to keep it in place. "Nice to meet you! I'm Straw Hat Luffy!" It was so different from Morgan's introduction that Jade burst out laughing, not even stopping when Luffy jumped over Morgan's attack and the axe's blade cut clean through the fence behind him.

Koby gulped loud enough to be heard over her laughter. "W-wow, that's sharp." Apparently his worry for his friend overrode his fear of her. He snapped at Jade, "Stop laughing! Your captain is fighting for his life, it isn't funny!"

Jade forced herself to calm down. She wiped a bit of moisture from her eyes, but her confident smile never left her face. "No he isn't. In order to be fighting for his life, there has to be a possibility that Morgan will win. He won't be able to kill Luffy. Do you know why?" Both Koby and Zoro stayed silent, letting her answer in peace. "Because he's too strong."

The fight had continued on during her monologue. By now, Luffy had Morgan _floored_. Jade was pretty sure Luffy didn't have a single scratch on him. Morgan was quite literally on the floor, and... Was that a freaking _sandal print_ on his face? She resisted laughing this time as Luffy grabbed the front of Morgan's shirt and brought him up. "You and your navy are ruining Koby's dream!"

A shout from said pinkette made her spin around, and that was probably the only reason she lived from the sudden gunshot wound in her shoulder. If she hadn't of moved, it probably would have gotten her straight in her heart. She heard the shouts of both Zoro and Koby, but Luffy's voice was mysteriously absent. As it was, pain radiated from the point of impact, and blood gushed out. She wasn't very good at pushing physical pain away, and her thoughts were fuzzy now.

Jade stumbled back and clutched at her injury, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out. Helmeppo had his arm across Koby's neck, keeping him still, and a still smoking gun was pointed at her. He was shaking, though, and his eyes were wide. For all his talk about how dead she was, it was probably the first time he saw so much blood at one point. Jade's eyes met his, and his shaking increased to trembling. "I... I..." the blond stuttered.

She smiled at him, though. A bit of blood bubbled up from the back of her throat and trickled from the corner of her mouth. "I'm impressed, 'Meppo. You're finally acting like a man. Now finish it." He flinched back violently, though Jade wasn't sure if it was because of how she looked or her words. "What? Are you scared?" Everyone was quiet now. Or maybe she just couldn't hear them over the sounds of fighting. "Good. You should be. I'm a pirate now, Helmeppo. Do you know what happens when you attack a pirate?"

He whimpered. He actually _whimpered._ Jade blinked and looked at Zoro. He certainly looked like a demon now: anger in his eyes, his jaw clenched tightly around the hilt of his white sword, and muscles tensed as if to spring forward. Jade placed a non-bloody hand on his chest, and his eyes instantly cut to her. They had a silent conversation, and Zoro took his sword from his mouth with a scowl. He didn't relax, but he wouldn't attack now. "I hope you know what you're doing." he whispered so only she could hear.

She smiled up at the taller man and whispered back, "Nope, not a clue." It was actually kind of funny, the way his eye twitched like that. Jade had a feeling that if she wasn't hurt, he'd slap her upside the head. Jade looked back at Luffy. Even from that far, she could read the fury in his face that a crewmate of his had been hurt. "Luffy!" Like Zoro, he cut his eyes to her. "I'm fine. Deal with Morgan."

A single nod later, and he went back to beating on Morgan with alot more force than before. Helmeppo panicked and pointed the weapon at Koby now, who'd gone wide-eyed at Jade's lack of fury. "Stop it, Straw Hat! One more move and Foureyes gets it! If you even blink, I-I'll kill him!"

Koby's face slowly set into a determined mask and, without taking his eyes from Jade, he yelled, "Luffy! Don't let them win! Even if I d-die... Even if I get killed, don't stop!" His stutter gave away what his face and eyes didn't. He was terrified of death, but Jade's calm acceptance of it had apparently given him courage.

Jade smiled at him and she heard Luffy say, "You're a good guy, Koby. Hey, idiot son-of-the-captain!" ... Okay, Jade _knew_ he knew Helmeppo's name. Was it just a habit of his to just not use names of people he didn't respect? ... Possibly. She could totally see him doing that. "Koby isn't afraid to die!"

She didn't want to turn her back on Helmeppo to see what Luffy was doing. He might actually take the opportunity to finish her off. Whatever it was, it made Helmeppo freak out. "Hey! I told you not to move or I'd shoot!" Everyone and their grandmother could see the bluff. Maybe he could've done it before he shot Jade, but even through her fuzzed up mind she saw his panic at the idea of actually killing someone. In an effort to make Luffy take him serious, he yelled, "Fine, I'll just shoot him then!"

Koby's expression suddenly turned afraid again. "LUFFY, BEHIND YOU!" Jade turned too quickly and the world kind of blended together in a mish-mash of colorful blurs. What she did see was a giant man behind Luffy with something black raised above his head.

The words were gobbledygook in her ears, and Jade tried to clear her vision by blinking and rubbing her eyes. All it accomplished was black dots appearing too. Or maybe that was Zoro's bandanna. Jade smiled brightly, chirped a rather cheerful, "Good night!", and promptly fainted from bloodloss.

* * *

**Pages: 15**

**Words: 8205 **

**Me: Feel privileged There's no way all of the chapters are going to be this long. Hell, the only reason I didn't cut it in half is because I couldn't find a good place to. Luffy's punch to Helmeppo was too early in the chapter and Zoro's agreement of being a pirate was too late. Anywhere in between would have been too sudden.**


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